Are you sure the part of the Bible that says men were created in God's image isn't a typo; after all, God..?

Question

is a creator of life and so are women. "He" gave the gift of creation to women, not men. That is a pretty significant gift to be given to what is supposed to be the least Godlike gender. Even if God does indeed have male genitals, (most Christians I've asked say they do not think "He" does), being a creator is what makes God so powerful and perhaps that is why the male dominant society that wrote the Bible did their best to subjugate their women: They were afraid of the control women have over the reproductive process.

I think it makes a lot more logical sense to see the creator of all life as a female, since it is almost always the female of most species of animals who brings new life into the world. Yes, I know that guys contribute (for about 20 seconds, give or take) but until I see a pregnant man, my feelings on this are unlikely to change.

PAULO,
Where on Earth did you get the idea that I don't believe in God? I do believe in God.

michelle_mackey2000,
Blood type is not decided by men alone; it is equally decided by both sexes. Children also recieve their mitochondria (the organelles that produce energy for our cells) strictly from their mothers. I know all of this because I have a degree in Microbiology. I also remember mentioning the fact that men do contribute, but they have zero control of the actual creation process after those few pleasurable seconds. Conception DOES happen in the womans body after all. 20 seconds vs. 9 and 1/2 months. That's quite a difference there!

White Dove,
Are you telling me that all the females of all the species of animals sinned against God? Or are you suggesting that God is punishing the females of all species for the sin of one person. That doesn't sound like a very nice thing to do. Either that, or men of a patriarchal society were trying to find a way to make the ability to create a baby sound like a punishment instead of an amazing gift.

Chris,
Actually, it is no longer impossible for a woman to get pregnant without the assistance of a man. Ever heard of cloning? You don't need sperm to clone a person, but you still do need a woman to gestate the child. Women could continue the species from this point on without the assistance of men. No wonder the male dominated governments of the world have outlawed human cloning. By the way, I'm not saying I approve of cloning, I'm just saying that it IS a viable form of human reproduction that does not require male sperm.

I am referring to SCNT cloning. Here's a website that explains it quite well: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/whatiscloning/

For anyone who is not aware, Humans have indeed been cloned http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Cell_Technology

Answer 1

I don't believe in God, but when I did I always referred to God as a "She" for that exact reason. The idea of a creator always seemed to suggest a female to me, too, based the fact that the females of most species bear children.

I also think you have an interesting idea that the male dominated society in the past subjugated women in part because of their ability to "create" life. I never thought about it that way.

Answer 2

I couldn't agree with you more. That is why, before people knew that men had a role in procreation, they all revered women above all because were looked upon as the magical people who could, from our own bodies, create new life, seemingly at will. Clearly, women have a hell of a lot more to do with creating a new person than men do, simply from a physical contribution of her own body, energy and time. Therefore, a female deity creating life on Earth makes much more sense, and that is how it was before people understood that men do have a necessary contribution to creating life.

The poetic way of looking at it is the Sun and the Earth. Mother Earth creates and nurtures us from Her own body, but without the spark of heat and light from the Sun, there would not be life. Both are necessary, but I do agree that a Mother Creator is a far more accurate portrayal of what our reality is here on planet Earth!

Blessings,
Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 3

We never know whether God is a male or female, or just a spirit without gender, none of us have actually see God before, what we know about image of God all come from the illustration of some people many years ago. In a male-dominated society (i mean, our world), is quite naturally people (i mean, male) describe the great power as a male image, and to treat the opposite sex a suppliment to them, so I am not surprise that those who wrote the Bible says that Adam is created on the image of God (male) and Eva is created from a piece of bone from Adam. The story could be totally opposite if our world is female-dominated. So its really doesn't matter whether God is male of female.

Answer 4

Pre-biblical: some cultures referred to the "creator" as Mother. Back then, they didn't know about the scientific explanation of how females got pregnant. A fertile female was revered and considered "blessed" by the Mother. (as a matter of fact, they didn't have much of any kind of scientific explanation of anything that happened so they used god or magic to explain anything that they could not explain).

Traditionally, females have always been the ones to stay close to the nest (gatherers) and care for the young. Males traveled (hunters) and had quite a bit of spare time on their hands. I believe it was a gradual evolution of the mind that men developed a "male" god because after all, it was considered more powerful to be able to kill instead of bring forth life, thus the males were considered more powerful and a god has to be powerful, right? The old testament paints a picture of an angry destructive male god who gives a female, easily persuaded to do evil, to first man. Men did stupid things for sex back then. They still do! Blaming the female justifies men's sexual based stupidity.

I heard a quote once (can't remember who it was): "Man created god in his image to create man."

See how society is changing now that females are no longer the traditional nesters and science has explanations for the many things that occur?

Answer 5

I see your point, but the bible says that God created both men and women in Gods image. I believe that God is both female and male because without men and women there is no life. I do agree that women do the major part to carry and sustain life before and after birth, and I also believe that the reason that women were and still are at times subjegated to men is because that men are scared of thier ability to create. People who say that God is just male and that only men were made in Gods image are ignorant of God and of the bible.

Answer 6

That scripture you quote from Genesis 1:26 was not talking about in a literal sense man would physically "look" like God, what he meant was we would have the same general qualities as God. The four primary being, love, justice, wisdom, and power. "The Bible teaches that man was made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26) We thus have good qualities because God has good qualities. For example, does it bother you to see innocent people suffer? If you care about such injustices, be assured that God feels even more strongly about them. One of the best things about humans is our ability to love. That also reflects God. The Bible teaches that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) We love because God loves. Would love move you to end the suffering and the injustice you see in the world? If you had the power to do that, would you do it? Of course you would! You can be just as sure that God will end suffering and injustice. The promises mentioned in the preface of this book are not mere dreams or idle hopes. God’s promises are sure to come true! In order to put faith in such promises, though, you need to know more about the God who has made them." Another way we know that Genesis 1:26 was not talking about the physical because "Jehovah and his firstborn Son enjoyed close association for billions of years—long before the starry heavens and the earth were created. How they must have loved each other! (John 3:35; 14:31) This dear Son was just like his Father. That is why the Bible refers to the Son as “the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) Yes, even as a human son may closely resemble his father in various ways, this heavenly Son reflected his Father’s qualities and personality."

Answer 7

God is neither male or female. God is not part of the created order. God is a more like a force but even that is a very inadequate metaphor.
The bible was written by men inspired by God but rooted firmly in their culture. This means that the wording is patriarchal. For me the word man in this context includes both and woman.

Answer 8

I find it quite hilarious that some of the Christians believe that God is a man, ha ha !! if a God was to exist it would be some sort of life without gender. The bible teaches that God is a man, but this is only done to make man closer to the creator, to give man the sense of unique bias over all living creatures of our planet, to give them ascendancy and use the scripture to subjugate 50% of our race. It also proves that the bible was written by men and not a God.

Answer 9

I agree with you and I am not alone. It is the Goddess who gives life. In Tantra she holds the Kundalini within herself, releasing it only to one who is worthy. This is the Serpent Power that the serpent, in this case called wisdom gave to Eve so she could wake Adam up from the sleep the blind God had put them both in. I worship the Goddess, I know the power she holds to awaken man. Look around the male blind God has ruled for 2000 years and his rule is so bad people want to die and go to some far off Heaven, what sadness. I wish more people would look with their own eyes as you are doing instead of just believing some old dried up dogma that has no life, for it is the female that gives life, physical and spiritual if only man could see. : )

Answer 10

Here's the secret to the creation superstition, it's based on the astrological sign of Gemini, it came out of the Torah, which was based upon the Tarot, which was based upon the zodiac... and here's your Adam and Eve Tarot card... The Twins..
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/59/170536082_4a27ec9082.jpg

The zodiac, and the tarot were both around long before xtianity...

The zodiac which is how we figure time itself, moves backwards when it goes through the ages, each age lasts approx 2,000 years. So here we are in Gemini, then it moves to Taurus, then we see moses come down the mountain, and he gets pissed because they're worshipping the golden calf.. or the sun in the age of Taurus. Moses takes them into the age of Aries, the Ram, and moses is often depicted with horns, and he blows the rams horn just like some jews still do today... Jesus is the age of Pisces, the two fish, the fisher of men who fed the world with two fish. It's all just basic astronomy, and astrology.